King Edward Vii Class Battleships

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 24. Chapters: HMS Africa (1905), HMS Britannia (1904), HMS Commonwealth (1903), HMS Dominion (1903), HMS Hibernia (1905), HMS Hindustan (1903), HMS King Edward VII, HMS New Zealand (1904), King Edward VII class battleship. Excerpt: Commonwealth, Dominion: Africa, Britannia, Hibernia, Hindustan: New Zealand: The King Edward VII class was a class of pre-dreadnought battleships launched by the Royal Navy between 1903 and 1905. Left elevation and deck plan as depicted in Jane's Fighting Ships 1906-7By 1901, the 29 British battleships of the Majestic, Canopus, Formidable, London, Queen, and Duncan classes then in service or under construction, all following the same basic design by Sir William White, had come under criticism as being undergunned for their displacement. All the King Edwards had four 12 inch (305 mm) guns in two twin turrets and a secondary armament of twelve 6 inch (152 mm) guns on a displacement of 13,000 to 15,000 tons; questions were beginning to arise as to the usefulness of 6 inch (152 mm) guns in the face of improved armor in foreign battleships, and it was noted that foreign navies such as those of Italy and the United States had begun to arm their battleships with an intermediate battery of 8 inch (203 mm) guns. The King Edward VII class was built as a response, with the intention of halting the gap in firepower and maintaining the dominance of the Royal Navy. Like the classes in between, the King Edward VII class was a direct descendant of the Majestic class, but it was also the first class to make a significant departure from the Majestic design, displacing about 1,000 tons more and mounting for the first time an intermediate battery of four 9.2 inch (234 mm) guns in addition to the standard outfit of 12 inch (305 mm) and 6 inch (152 mm) guns. The 9.2 inch gun was quick-firing like the 6 inch, and its...